Jackknife accidents are among the most catastrophic truck accidents on the roads of Columbus, OH. When a semi-truck collides at highway speeds, it can fold like a bent jackknife and completely lose control. For other drivers on the road in Columbus, Ohio, a jackknife accident can be extremely dangerous. If you were injured in a jackknife accident in Columbus, you could be entitled to financial compensation with the help of a Columbus jackknife accident lawyer.
If a jackknife accident was caused by a driver’s negligence and you were injured, you could have important legal rights. An experienced Columbus jackknife accident lawyer can help you file a personal injury claim and pursue financial compensation for your injuries. Contact the Columbus jackknife accident attorneys of Mani Ellis & Layne Accident & Injury Lawyers at (614) 587-8423.
How Can the Mani Ellis & Layne Accident & Injury Lawyers Help You After a Jackknife Accident in Columbus?
Jackknife accidents involving large trucks in Columbus, OH, can be complex. Trying to figure out how an accident happened and who was responsible can be a time-consuming and challenging task. Pursuing financial compensation for your losses is critical, however, and this involves finding out who was at fault. Once you determine who caused the accident, they can be legally required to pay you.
Our Columbus personal injury lawyers have valuable experience analyzing evidence from accident scenes to help clients. An accident scene left by a semi-truck jackknife accident will take time and effort to review and pinpoint liability for the crash. In these situations, it helps to have knowledgeable Columbus truck accident lawyers on your side.
When our Columbus jackknife accident lawyers handle your case, we’ll get to work for you by:
- Reviewing all details of the accident scene to determine its cause;
- Analyzing the evidence to find out who was at fault and how fault can be proven;
- Teaming up with accident reconstruction experts to recreate how the crash started;
- Negotiating with insurance companies and defense attorneys to fight for the financial recovery you deserve.
If you were injured in a jackknife accident, you can’t wait too long to figure out what happened and how it happened. Trust an experienced Columbus truck accident lawyer to do the hard work for you and find out who is responsible.
What Causes Jackknife Accidents in Columbus, Ohio?
Trucks such as the semi-trucks we see every day on our roads are made with two sections—the tractor and the trailer. Both sections are connected by a single pivot joint that allows for independent movement. Usually, this helps trucks easily move cargo from one point to another. A jackknife accident happens, though, when the tractor swiftly brakes, causing the trailer to fold at an opposite – similar to a pocket knife folding together. The results can be catastrophic.
Each year, over 4,000 fatal jackknife accidents take lives across the nation. This is a shocking statistic, but it makes sense when you consider a fully loaded semi-truck can weigh 80,000 pounds.
Factors that can cause a jackknife incident include:
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Drunk driving
- Fatigued driving
- Poor training or experience handling a big rig
- Improperly loaded cargo
- Malfunctioning steering or brakes
- Aggressive driving
- Poor weather conditions
- Defective pavement and road conditions
- Defective vehicle equipment.
Not all of these factors are the fault of the truck driver. Negligence by an employer, parts manufacturer, or others can play a role. However, the overpowering size and weight of a tractor-trailer means that multiple vehicles can get wrapped into a jackknife accident. Innocent drivers can be severely harmed as a result.
What Is Negligence and How Can I Prove It?
Understanding who was at fault and how is critical to succeeding on a personal injury claim. In a lawsuit, you may need to establish that the truck driver’s negligence caused the accident.
Proving negligence means showing the following four elements in a truck accident claim:
- Duty of care. A driver owes a duty of care to operate the truck safely (and by the driver and employer to ensure the truck itself is safe to operate).
- Breach of duty. The driver and/or their company failed in some way to observe their duty of care.
- Causation. You’ll need to show a causal connection between the driver’s actions and your injuries.
- Damages. To collect compensation, you need to show actual injuries and losses from the accident. Damages can include medical bills, lost wages, property damage, costs of therapy and rehab, lost future earnings, along with pain and suffering. A truck accident lawyer will fight to maximize the amount of economic and non-economic damages you collect after a devastating jackknife accident.
Proving negligence in a jackknife accident claim is often easier said than done. To prove the claim, your lawyer will need to collect a wide variety of evidence. Sometimes, the evidence can include the truck’s own black box recordings and video, along with maintenance logs and other information not easily accessible to you. However, our truck accident lawyers have been there before and know what to do for you.
Call an Experienced Columbus Jackknife Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
The dedicated Columbus jackknife accident lawyers at Mani Ellis & Layne Accident & Injury Lawyers have extensive experience advocating for people just like you. We can do the hard work of securing financial relief while you focus on your own personal recovery. Start your claim now by contacting our legal team in Columbus, OH, to schedule a free consultation.
